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Update report - November 1, 2017

One final test drive, one last photo opportunity!


Car now just days away from completion	Suffolk & Turley interior looks spectacular

Your car has spent the last few days being tuned on the Dyno and I am pleased to report that it has been putting down some very impressive numbers! Using a 20% power loss correction factor (from flywheel to rear wheels), your Stage Two CJ engine is producing 379 HP and 437 ft/lbs of torque. These numbers are all the more remarkable given they were achieved with all ancillary components in place, including the complete exhaust system. The compression ratio is a conservative 9.8:1 and all testing was performed using 93 octane pump gas.

Your E Type is a flying machine, and certainly one of the fastest road legal 6 cylinder E Types on the road.


CJ/Borrani wheels now installed	Dyno sheet showing some remarkable HP and torque numbers

Installing the convertible top and bonnet.


Time to install the bonnet!	Looking more like a finished car every day


Stapling the rear edge of the mohair top

Hector and Carlos installing your new mohair Suffolk & Turley convertible top (in progress).

Click on the image below for a short video of the car being run through the gears on the Dyno!

After an uneventful initial firing, we have already run the engine through several heat cycles and it is now time to spend a few hours on the Dyno. I will post a video of the car running through the gears tomorrow afternoon.

On a different note, happy 14th birthday to Race! Your dad tells me he is going to allow you to do your driver's ed in the E Type in a couple of years.


Front lights and brightwork have now been installed


After successful initial firing and several heat cycles, the car has now been moved to the Dyno


New fuel tank has now been installed	Hector installed the interior door panels over the weekend


The car is scheduled for several hours on the Dyno tomorrow (8/8)	Look for a video of the car being put through its paces tomorrow!

The mechanical assembly is progressing very well!


Slave wheels and tires will be used for beak-in sessions on the chassis dyno


Uprated suspension and brakes on display with the car raised on one of the lifts


Stage Two 4.7L engine will be fired up in the next few days	Engine bay filling up rapidly!


Wiper motor rebuilt, restored and installed	Bumpers and overriders installed

Gerardo has now almost finished sanding and buffing the new paintwork and Carlos has begun installing the first of the restored chrome and brightwork.


Installing the restored convertible top frame	Car will receive a black mohair Suffolk & Turley convertible top


Carlos has now trimmed and installed the bonnet chrome beading


Bonnet is now ready for lights and bumpers	Gerardo has now sanded and buffed the doors

Interior re-trim, continued..


Your car is now keeping some good company in the CJ trim room!





Installing fuse boards and heater elbows behind the dash	Installing 3M 8840 sound deadening material prior to installing the gas tank

Carlos starting to install the first pieces of the tan interior...

Installing Dynamat, hydraulic and fuel lines, engine and transmission ready to install.


Fabricating and installing hydraulic and fuel lines	New brake booster and master cylinder installed


Dynamat installed throughout the cabin


Engine and transmission ready to install

Your car has now been moved to the main workshop where the mechanical reassembly is already underway.


Putting finishing touches to the IRS rebuild	IRS now almost ready to install


Installing engine frames	Front and rear suspension installed, your car is now sitting on its wheels


Wiring, dash, engine and transmission next..	CJ/Borrani wheels

The bonnet and engine frames have now been painted British Racing Green.

Late yesterday afternoon Gerardo painted the main body and the doors.


View through the booth window at around 4pm yesterday	After unmasking, first thing this morning





	BRG shows off the E Types curves beautifully

Yesterday afternoon we painted the underside of your bonnet. Later today we will be painting the underside of the main body, then on Monday we will start painting all of the outer panels.


	Rocker guard being applied to the front wheel wells


Underside of bonnet now BRG






Applying rocker guard to the underside of floors

Applying the first of the British Racing Green paint! First up is the cabin area and the boot compartment.


For this car we have chosen our darkest British racing Green option	For anyone interested in the color for their own restoration


Cabin and boot compartment sealed in epoxy primer all joints seam sealed





The first of the British Racing Green!

Unpacking your beautifully re-plated chrome...

The doors and boot lid have been reinstalled and adjusted following application of the sprayable polyester. At this stage the panel fit has been finalized and you can see how all the gaps will look on the finished car.


Panel fit is spectacular throughout the car


	Rear bottom corner of right side of bonnet


Right hand upper door panel gaps	Lower rear corner of passenger door


Lower rear corner of driver's door	Lower front corner of driver's door

With the bodywork (filler and block) stage completed, your car has now been primed with Spies Hecker 3508 Raderal sprayable polyester.

Lead loading the rear quarters and front cowl..


Note heater box is trial fitted as part of the bonnet installation	Filing lead on the front cowl


Right hand cowl now has lead applied	Starting to take shape after filing


	All the panel gaps are looking good

Oscar has been busy trimming and fitting your alloy bonnet....


New engine frames installed


	Both wings will be trimmed to fit


Oscar checking straightness after hammering over edge beading


Bonnet fit now starting to take shape	Trial fitting mudguards

We have now removed the monocoque from the rotisserie and placed it on a roll-around frame jig. The next task will be to install the new engine frames and fit the new CJ aluminum bonnet.


	Preparing to install the engine side frames


Trial fitting rear lights and license plate chrome	Keeping good company in the CJ Coachworks

Oscar has been busy installing your new floors, after carefully rust proofing all the enclosed box sections with Wurth Body Wax prior to spot welding the floors into place.


	Wurth Body Wax is sprayed in all box sections that will be enclosed by the floors


The body wax will help prevent for decades to come	Left and right hand floors are spot welded along the center line


Spot welding the rear floor brace in position








Floors are clamped in place for welding





Literally hundreds of spot welds secure the new floors to the main monocoque	Trial fitting the outer sills


	About to spot weld the outer sills in place

Lots of progress in the Coachworks...


Cutting out rusted section of inner cowl	Trial fitting replacement repair panel





	Rust holes up beneath LH A pillar





Cracks found around engine stabilizer bracket


Drilling out spot welds holding bracket to firewall


Crack cannot be ignored at such an important structural part of the firewall


Cutting out the corroded section


Trial fitting replacement repair panel	New stabilizer bracket fabricated


Acid washing inner/enclosed surfaces	Tack welding replacement panel in position


TIG weld next	Repair now invisible after metal finishing


Antenna hole will be filled





Unusual view of new boot latch being trial fitted





All inner box sections are thoroughly rust proofed


	Trial fitting new boot lid

We have now wrapped this Stage Two engine rebuild and look forward to seeing how it performs on the chassis dyno in a few months time. We typically see about 380 HP and 430 ft/lbs of torque with our 4.7L CJ Stage Two rebuilds. That's more torque than a Ferrari 458 Italia - in a car weighing less than 2,500 lb!


Preparing to install the oil pan


Not just a pretty face, this engine will put out around 380HP and 430 ft/lbs of torque!

Putting the finishing touches to another 4.7L CJ Stage Two engine rebuild.

We have now finished the block machine work and we are about to begin the final assembly.


Torque plate cylinder honing in progress	Surfacing the block with front timing chain installed


Balancing flywheel and pressure plate	Balancing your billet stroker crankshaft


	Laying out forged Carrillo connecting rods and custom forged CJ pistons, etc


	Final assembly underway!

The following sequence of photographs show Oscar fabricating a new inner support panel for the upper license plate panel. Unfortunately the original panel was completely rotten and new panels are not available, hence the need to fabricate one from scratch.


	Removing the rear license plate support panel


	A new panel had to be fabricated from scratch


	Trial fitting the new panel


	Not much left at the back of the car at this point!


Trial fitting license plate panel	Unfortunately your boot lid is also rusty and will be replaced

Oscar has been busy cutting out corroded metal and fabricating replacement panels for the IRS chassis legs and beneath the windscreen pillars. He has made excellent progress in the last few weeks!

Body restoration underway today!

Restoration of your seats now virtually complete.

Lots of progress in the machine shop, interior trim restoration about to get underway.


Base-line flow testing the head	Machining out old seats


Surfacing gasket areas	Porting in progress (exhaust port)


Machining 5 angled valve job


	Front of head prior to sanding and polishing


	Surfacing the deck


Rebuilt head now ready for assembly


Beautiful tan Suffolk & Turley hides

I am pleased to report that we now have your Stage 2 (4.7L) engine rebuild underway.


	Removing the cylinder head


	Crank will be replaced with a billet stroked unit


	Oil pan had several cracks that will require welding








Disassembling the head


Head has extensive shrapnel damage


Measuring head warpage - will require a cam saddle align hone	Several chambers will require significant repair





	Baseline flow testing prior to port work


Cylinder head weld repairs underway

Cutting out floors with the plasma cutter. Click on the large image below for a short video clip.

Blasting the car back to bare metal has unfortunately exposed some fairly extensive damage, as well as some pretty shoddy sheet metal repairs. The car was obviously quite rusty prior to being painted, with several corroded areas being covered up with bondo or crudely patched. There is also some old accident damage evident around the rear lamp panels.

A sample of your Nickel plating and powder coating...

Just some of the goodies that go into a Team CJ Stage Two rebuild...


Some of the component parts of a Team CJ Stage Two engine rebuild	Billet stroker crank in foreground

We now have your E Type completely disassembled and will have the sheet metal blasted back to bare metal in the next few days.


Time to tear the car down and see what lurks beneath the shiny paint


Panel gaps are poor, and the car clearly has a great deal of bondo throughout the body


Engine and transmission removed


Time to remove the interior	Cutting away outer sills reveals patched inner sills


LH inner sill has been crudely patched with a flat piece of sheet metal


Car now on a rotisserie blasting jig

We will have this exciting project underway in the next few weeks!